Posted Fri Feb 12, 2010 7:54pm PST by Billy Johnson, Jr. in Video Ga Ga
Lionel Richie was rightfully hesitant to rerecord "We Are the World," the 1985 global anthem he wrote alongside Michael Jackson to fight famine in Africa.
More than 40 artists under the umbrella USA for Africa joined to record the tribute that raised more than $60 million.
Richie felt the song was iconic and should not be revisited, but he changed his mind after the recent devastation in Haiti following the tragic 7.0 earthquake in January that left more than 100,000 people dead and millions displaced.
The new version, "We Are the World - 25 for Haiti," and its video, which just premiered in advance of the broadcast of the Opening Ceremony for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, successfully takes on a new meaning.
(Visit World25.org to Donate!)
From the moment the remake performed by more than 70 artists called Artists For Haiti was announced, speculation set in as people wondered how contemporary artists would interpret the song. Richie and producer Quincy Jones decided not to feature artists who appeared on the original version.
Comparing the original to the 2010 rendition is inevitable in a few instances. Those who remember the first version can't help but think of Cyndi Lauper when they hear an emotional Celine Dion breathe new energy into the memorable, "well, well, well/let us realize, a change will only come" or when teen newcomer Justin Bieber takes on Richie's opening lines.
But the covers are not what stick in your mind after watching the eight-minute clip that opens with remarks from Jamie Foxx encouraging viewers to "do more than just watch but to reach deep in your heart and give anything you can."
For me, "We Are the World - 25 for Haiti" calls to mind the hopeful little boy in the sky blue T-shirt captured in the beginning of the video, standing on the roof of a dilapidated house, smiling and waving…. (Read more at below source)
SOURCE: http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/videogaga/31073/we-are-the-world-remake-takes-on-new-meaning/